The Butter Man

While I liked the depiction of life in the High Atlas Mountains of Moracco, particularly the author’s note and glossary at the end (and the yummy descriptions of couscous), the gouache illustrations of this 2009 Zolotow Highly Commended Title were too childlike and did not really portray the culture described in the book.

I liked this book because of how different it was, because of the main character tapping into his own past being in a different country, but predominately doing the same type of thing here in America. He tapped into his own struggles in the other country, and how he is so fortunate here in America to not run into the same type of problem. I also liked how this book was bilingual, and there were many words throughout the book that were in the language of Morocco. I disliked that the book felt slow at sometimes, but I think that is because the author was trying to develop the story to be told to his daughter, and it took a while to get to the what will happen next stage.

This is the story of a young girl who's waiting for her father to finish making couscous for dinner so that they can eat. While they are waiting for it to be ready, her father tells his daughter the story of the butter man: When he was a boy, there came a time when his parents couldn't bring much food on the table because of a drout. His dad left to find work elsewhere and, meanwhile, his mother would always tell him to go outside with his piece of bread and wait for the butterman so he could ask to dip his bread in some butter. He went and waited every day but, growing impatient and hungry, he would end up eating his bread and going home before he saw the butter man. One day, as he was waiting again, his father came back with lots of show more food and they celebrated. When the girl's father is finished the story of the butter man, his wife arrives home and they eat dinner together.

This story was original but written in a language a little too advanced for children. The author inserted African words, such as "malahou" (which means grandmother) into the text and the children wouldn't be able to understand this unless an adult explained it to them. I don't believe it's a good book to read to children any younger than 8. Even at 8 years old, they would need an adult to explain certain aspects of the story to them. show less

i loved that the history was told through the stories characters and made it seem like the child was there with you as read it. the child's father was the one telling the story to his daughter and it made it feel more personalized and involved in the story.

I had mixed feelings about this book as I liked the writing but thought the pictures needed improvement. I liked the details that the author provided, I was able to really connect with the family as they were running out of food. It is interesting that the story is based off the author’s experiences. I think the pictures could have been improved and more detailed. The overall message in this book was to convey hardship and tough times.

Ali's story about his mom having him look for the Butter Man is heartwarming. However, I feel like the author's do not explain enough for the reader to easily understand the point behind the story of the Butter Man. The theme of the story may not be obvious to less advanced readers.

Summary:

This book is about a Moroccan man who tells his daughter the story of his childhood. In the story, a drought comes upon the town in Moroco that the man lived. His father leaves to find work and his mother and himself stay behind. Their resources become limited and they become hungry. However, his father returns and all is saved.

Personal Reaction:

I thought this was a well written book that creatively tells a story about Moroccan Culture. I think children would stay interested and enjoy the pictures.

Classroom Extension Ideas:

1. Use the book as an introduction to teach the children about Moroccan Culture.

2. Tell the story and make a Moroccan snack for the children. I would make couscous and homemade bread. Then take them to show more school and bring butter. show less